Scottish Executive

Enterprise

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many senior executives have left Scottish Enterprise during the past 12 months; how much was paid to them in the form of (a) retirement, (b) redundancy and (c) other termination of contract settlements; whether any of them received more than their statutory financial entitlement at the point of termination of contract and, if so, what amounts were paid in each case.

Ms Wendy Alexander: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. This information is not held centrally.

Health

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals were waiting to have a tonsillectomy at (a) Vale of Leven Hospital and (b) Royal Alexandra Hospital as at 31 August 2001.

Susan Deacon: Information on the number of patients waiting for in-patient and day case tonsillectomy treatment is not available centrally. Information on the number of patients waiting for in-patient and day case treatment is collected at specialty level only.

  On 30 June 2001, the numbers waiting for ENT inpatient or day case treatments of all kinds at the Vale of Leven Hospital and at the Royal Alexandra Hospital were 151 and 311 respectively.

Infectious Salmon Anaemia

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government that infectious salmon anaemia and viral haemorhagic septicaemia should be added to the list of diseases contained in Article 3 of EC Decisions 90/424/EEC.

Rhona Brankin: Infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) was added to the list of diseases in the Annex to Council Decision 90/424, by means of amending Decision 2001/572 dated 23 July 2001. The effect of this addition is that, in the event of further outbreaks of ISA, affected member states may, at their discretion, seek a financial contribution from the Community towards the cost of implementing a programme for the eradication and monitoring of this disease.

  We have no plans to request the addition of viral haemorhagic septicaemia to this list.

Special Educational Needs

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16872 by Nicol Stephen on 22 August 2001, how much each local authority spent on special school fees in 2000-01 and what proportion of each authority’s total special educational needs budget these figures represented.

Nicol Stephen: The information requested is not held centrally.

Sport

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the roles and responsibilities of it and Her Majesty’s Government are in deciding what is a sport or recreation.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive and the UK Government have delegated the responsibility of deciding what is a sport to their respective sports councils. By its definition, recreation is an activity that promotes the refreshment of health or spirits by relaxation and enjoyment. What constitutes recreation therefore is down to the individual concerned.

Sport

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what process is followed designating an activity as a sport or a recreation.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the role of  sportscotland is in designating an activity as a sport.

Allan Wilson: A formal recognition process is employed to identify those activities with which the Sports Councils wish to be associated and which, particularly given the finite resources available, the councils think should be developed by them. It does not determine an activity as a sport.

  The initial assessment of any application for recognition by the Sports Council should be the responsibility of the home country Sports Council in which the application originated. If the home country Sports Council concerned, following the initial assessment, considers it appropriate, a case is then presented by that council for further consideration by the five Sports Councils in the United Kingdom.

  In their assessment, the home country Sports Councils employ a range of criteria. These include physical skills; physical effort; accessibility; rules and organisation; strategy and tactics; essential purpose; physical challenge; risk; uniqueness of the activity; level of participation; and other considerations such as political, moral and ethical issues.

  There is no process involved in designating an activity as a recreation. By its definition, recreation encompasses a limitless range of activities.

Sport

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the official definition of a sport is.

Allan Wilson: For the purposes of recognition as a sport, the UK Sports Councils define sport as an activity which requires physical skills, physical effort and physical challenge.